China is ready to make concerted efforts with Australia to promote
relations between the two nations, said President Jiang Zemin when
meeting visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard Thursday.
Jiang said the Chinese Government attached consistent importance to
Sino-Australian ties.
After 30 years of development, relations boost a sound foundation,
with frequent exchanges of high-level visits, increasing common
interests and wide-ranging cooperation, the Chinese president
said.
It
had been proven that the establishment of long-standing and
developing bilateral relations was in the interests of both
peoples, Jiang said.
The two sides also discussed South Asia and Middle East issues and
relations among major powers.
Jiang pointed out that peace and development were still leading the
trends of the times, but warned world development was far from
balanced.
Against such a backdrop, countries should enhance their
understanding and cooperation, and gradually resolve disputes to
realize peace and development, Jiang said.
He
stressed that only by respecting the diversity and the interests of
peoples of different countries and promoting the democratization of
international relations could a just and reasonable international
political and economic order be approached.
Howard recalled his meetings with Jiang on different occasions. He
said they reached consensus on developing cooperative
Sino-Australian relations in 1999 and ties have progressed rapidly
since.
China has become Australia's third largest trade partner, Howard
said, noting Australia was willing to make more efforts to expand
friendly cooperation in the fields of trade and economics,
education, science and technology, finance and tourism.
Jiang also briefed his guests on China's economic and social
development, especially the country's strategy of developing its
vast western region.
After the meeting, the Prime Minister and his entourage left for
Australia.
(China Daily May 24,
2002)